Desperate Measures
by ComingAndGoingByBubble
Summary: Phoebe resorts to desperate measures when Monty and Sibella won't stop fighting.


p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Monty and Sibella had been at it all day, snapping at each other, and bickering like children so much so that Phoebe wished she could send them both to their rooms in order to get some peace and quiet./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"She did not know the cause of the argument, no, she hadn't heard that above the screaming and the shouting, but she could only guess that it was something trivial, seeing as neither Sibella nor Monty would budge an inch in their temperament. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"At first Monty had come to her, all mutters and angry shouts and Phoebe hadn't gotten a word in edgewise to even ask what was wrong./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Then Sibella had stormed in once Monty had left, her anger as cold as ice. She had sat there, brewing, her face stern as stone. Phoebe hadn't dared to even say a word, in fear that Sibella might snap at her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"But now, here they all were, in the library./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Phoebe had retreated here in the hope of waiting out the storm, for surely by now their anger would have soothed over. It was nearing midday, how long could they possibly stay angry at one another? /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"She had only gotten a few precious moments of peace with her book before Sibella and Monty had barged in, still bickering. Their spar of words cutting through the silence like a sharp knife./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Sighing, Phoebe closed her book, and then her eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what would make them stop fighting, for she dearly hated to see them both so harsh with one another. She hated how spiteful Sibella's voice got, how her haughty temperament only increased when she was irate. And Monty… Monty was frightening when he was angry, he was ever so cross and was like a boom of thunder when thwarted./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"She was so tired of hearing them shout at one another. So tired and so weary of it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"An idea popped into her head then. She mused on its deceitful nature of intent for only a minute before her head was pounding with Sibella's harsh snapping at Monty. Damn the fact that her plan was rather conniving and desperately appealed to both Sibella and Monty's sense of devotion to her, Phoebe just wanted some peace and quiet in this household for more than a few mere seconds./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"It was not hard pretending to stagger up from the chair towards where Monty and Sibella stood near the door. It wasn't even difficult to feign weariness and how tired she was on her face, for Phoebe was so exhausted. The fact that her face had paled only made the plan work in her favor. She stumbled into a shelf of books for good measure, catching herself at the last moment before she did herself any real harm. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"The silence as Monty and Sibella's attention slowly weaned off of each other and onto Phoebe was divine, and she relished in it. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" "Darling, are you al-"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Phoebe didn't let Sibella finish her question before she dramatically pretended to collapse to the floor, letting her knees give way and landing ever so gracefully on the floor of the library, closing her eyes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"She felt ever so wicked as Sibella and Monty came rushing over to her, Monty cradling her head, while Sibella held her hand, checking her pulse./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span "We should call a doctor," she heard Monty say, letting his fingers run through her hair gently./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Sibella's fingers tensed against Phoebe's own./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" "The doctor is out of town remember, it will take hours for him to get here. We'll have Shingle look after her."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span "Shingle is not a trained nurse, what if something is truly wrong? Would you have her die?" Monty snapped back at Sibella./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Sibella's nails dug slightly into Phoebe's fingers, and Phoebe tried hard not to wince, although she convincingly made the noise sound like a whimpering moan, to which Sibella only held her hand tighter and Monty cupped a hand to her cheek./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span "For goodness sake, Monty! She is not going to die, she has a pulse. And how dare you think I would want her to die!" Sibella's voice was thick./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span "We should get her to her bed, let her rest while I call the doctor."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, she should stay here. If she hit her head, moving her would only be worse," argued Sibella./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" "You said so yourself that she was fine and doesn't need a doctor, now are you changing your tune?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Sibella cursed loudly, and Phoebe flinched at the sound for hearing such words come out of Sibella's pretty mouth was rather unexpected. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" "Goddamnit Montague, must you act like a child!" she scolded./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I daresay Sibella, cursing does not become you. What would Lionel say about his pretty little wife saying such things?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"It was a low blow, even for Monty. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"The silence that fell afterwards was deadly and Phoebe decided it was in that moment that she needed to wake up. Ever so slowly, she fluttered her eyelids and then fully opened them. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Monty's hand was still on her cheek, but his fingers were still and ice cold./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Sibella was glaring at him, from where she sat on the other side of Phoebe, still holding Phoebe's hand, but her grip too was tight and cold./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span "What- what happened?" Phoebe managed to croak out in a whispered tone, looking at both of them./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You fainted, my sweet," Sibella got out between tight lips. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You're alright now though," Monty stated quietly. His fingers brushed against her cheek./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I'm glad that you two were here to help me," Phoebe said with a small smile, trying to ease the tension between the two of them./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Sibella's face softened slightly, as did Monty's, but that was all Phoebe could manage before they once again started bickering over whether or not she should go to bed or continue on her day as planned./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Phoebe, for what it was worth, kept her head on the floor, and breathed in deep, for it seemed as if nothing would quell their anger for today./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Perhaps she might retire early, claiming a headache and let them keep at it. Surely they would grow tired of fighting tomorrow morning…/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; line-height: normal;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Phoebe could only hope, for the sake of her sanity, that the fighting would stop eventually./span/p 


End file.
